LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                             January 29, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Mike Moncrief, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Health & Human Services
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB62  by Moncrief (Relating to county and public health
               district fees in certain populous counties.), As
               Introduced
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill would authorize counties with a population of at least one
million to charge a fee for issuing or renewing a permit or for
performing an inspection to enforce Chapter 437 Health and Safety Code
rules.  The bill would take effect September 1, 2001.

Current law authorizes counties with a population of at least 2.8 million
and public health districts that at least part of which are located in a
county with 2.8 million to charge a fee for the described services.
Only Harris County currently meets the population requirement.  The
current statute also limits the amount of the fees to allow the county to
recover up to 50 percent of the annual expenditures for processing
permits and conducting inspections, although the fees cannot exceed $300.

Counties that would be eligible to charge fees under the provisions of
the bill are Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, and Harris.  Harris County is
already eligible under current statutes and charges fees of $250.  There
would be no change to the population requirement for a public health
district; therefore, there would be no change in eligible public health
districts that could charge a fee.

Eligible counties would experience a revenue gain that would offset at
least half of their expenses related to each identified responsibility
or $300 per permit or inspection, whichever is less.
  
  
Source Agencies:   501   Texas Department of Health
LBB Staff:         JK, HD, DB, RM